Welcome to the 164th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast.
Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as the case may be).
Here’s how this week’s episode plays out:
1. Headlines
It’s been a busy week of new series pickups (a Sammy Davis Jr. drama!), renewals (With Love!) and castings (Ted, Percy Jackson and a shake-up at The Flash) and we run down all the TV news you need to know.
2. Jeopardy
Ask and you shall receive: Sony this week announced a new full-time showrunner to replace the ousted Mike Richards. This segment looks at what the new exec producer brings to the beloved trivia show and what his next big assignment will be.
3. Rebranding
Farewell, IMDb TV, and hello … Freevee!? Yes, really, that’s the new name of Amazon’s ad-supported streamer. Well, at least it doesn’t have a plus symbol in it. (Somewhere, a Freeform exec is breathing a sigh of relief.)
4. Showrunner Spotlight
Steve Yockey and Natalie Chaidez join us for a conversation about season two of the Emmy-nominated HBO Max thriller The Flight Attendant. Yockey explains how the series was originally envisioned as a one and done but planted a few threads to pull at should the streamer want to book another flight. And that they did. Season two sees star and Emmy nominee Kaley Cuoco have considerably more to do as she navigates playing different versions of Cassie in the L.A.-set season. “Our goal was to continue the characters’ emotional journeys from season one but to let the show have the freedom to feel as wildly new as it wanted to,” Yockey says. “[Cassie’s] life is built at all times like a house of cards in season one and in season two, she isn’t someone who is facing the reality of her situation.”
5. Critic’s Corner
As usual, every episode ends with Dan offering his reviews of what to watch in the week ahead. In this episode, he reviews Netflix’s Russian Doll and Anatomy of a Scandal, Amazon’s Outer Range, Apple’s Roar, Roku’s Swimming With Sharks, AMC’s Better Call Saul and Showtime’s The First Lady.
Hear it all now on TV’s Top 5. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode. (Reviews welcome!) You can also email us with any topics or Mailbag questions you’d like addressed in future episodes at TVsTop5@THR.com.
Source: Hollywood
